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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Holiday Gift Ideas -- Games For Kids of All Ages From Wonder Forge (Review)

Not only was Savannah able to spend some quality time with Nana and Papa last week when they came to visit for Thanksgiving, but she also got to try out some new games we received from Wonder Forge to review. The kinds folks at Wonder Forge sent the following games for review:

Ages: 3+
Number of Players: 2 or more
MSRP: $16.99

"You’re invited to a cupcake party with all your favorite princesses!
Work together to make as many cupcakes as you can before it’s time for
the party. Follow the recipe cards to pick the perfect fancy liner,
frosting, and topper. Each cupcake creation is fit for a princess in
this sweet game of matching and sharing."

Promotes:

Product Contents

4 Tiaras

4 Rings

4 Bracelets

1 Decoder Heart Gem

40 Jewels

200 Cards

1 Rules Manual

Ages: 3+
Number of Players: 1 or more
MSRP: $7.99

"The classic game of picture matching now features Minnie
Mouse and her fun-loving bow-tique pals. Flip over brightly colored
tiles to get a peek at Minnie, Daisy, Figaro, Penelope, and the whole
gang. Collect the most pairs to tie up a win!

Promotes:

Matching

Memory skills

Turn-taking and playing together

Product Contents

72 Picture Tiles

1 Rules Manual

Ages: 3+
Number of Players: 2 or more
MSRP: $14.99

"This delightful twist on bingo stars the one and only Minnie
Mouse! Reach into the bag and pull out a bow, then find the matching
spot on your card. Line up five bows in a row to win. The bows and bingo
cards all pack up in a precious pink and purple bag, for carry-anywhere
fun little Minnie fans will adore."

Promotes:

Counting and matching

Pattern recognition

Turn-taking and playing together

Product Contents

1 Bow-tique Bag

30 Bows

4 Bingo Cards

60 Tokens

1 Rules Manual

As soon as Savannah saw me taking the games out of the box, she ran right over and kept saying, "Minnie Mouse, Princesses!" I brought them over to the dining room table and laid the games out for her to look at. I wish I had recorded her reaction, as she kept saying "oohh, ahhh" as she studied each game intently. She asked me when we would play them, and I told her that it would be fun to wait until Nana came in a couple of days, and play then. I knew this was asking too much from a toddler, so I ended up letting her choose one game to play with me that afternoon after Arabella went down for a nap.

Like I have said in the past, Savannah is a huge fan of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so it was only fitting that she chose one of the Minnie Mouse games. She opted for the Minnie Mouse Matching Game from Wonder Forge to play.

Because Savannah plays a lot of matching games on Daddy's iPad, I didn't have to explain the rules. What a great time we had together. Not only was it a great way to bond and spend quality one-on-one time together, but Savannah was working on improving her memory skills. I will not lie, Savannah beat me a few times without me letting her win. Maybe it was my tired mommy brain catching up with me, or maybe her memory was just better than mine -- either way, we laughed and had loads of fun playing this game. And, when Nana finally arrived, Savannah grabbed her hand and brought her over to the dining room table, where she had set up the other games to show Nana. Throughout the week, my mother and Savannah would spend one-on-one time together playing these fun and creative games from Wonder Forge together. As I watched them play, I remembered back to when I was little and liked spending time with my mom playing board games. What a great feeling it was to see my daughter and mother playing board games together. I couldn't help but join in on the fun, as did Savannah's friends who came to visit. I can see these games getting good use out of them, as Savannah hasn't gotten bored with them yet, and requests them when I ask her what she wants to do for our one-on-one time together.

And, just today when I hosted our "Mommy and Me" playgroup at our home, Savannah couldn't wait to show off her new games from Wonder Forge. For the whole afternoon I had girls of all ages pretending to be Disney princesses, as they played Wonder Forge's Dazzling Princesses game, as well as having a blast playing Minnie's Bingo game. When the girls were done with the bingo game, the games stored away easily in the bow-tique bag that comes with the game. As a mom, I love this feature, as I don't have to worry about lost pieces. This game can be brought to Nana and Papa's with ease.

Here are a few photos of Savannah trying on her Disney Princess jewelry prior to the girls coming over for a playdate. Daddy has to worry, as she loves her jewels. :-)

Don't think that Wonder Forge only offers board games for girls. Quite
the contrary! They carry a wide selection of games from popular
television series like The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That,
Chuggington, Curious George, Jake and the Neverland Pirates and
Busytown.

Both boys and girls will enjoy these games from Wonder Forge, as they play and have fun learning together. Another great feature of Wonder Forge games for kids is that many of the games can be played with just one player, so children can enjoy playing independently. You can also find a selection of games and puzzles for teens and adults to enjoy. So, let Wonder Forge make game night in your house fun by picking up an assortment of board games this upcoming holiday season to play together. I will definitely be picking up the Angelina Ballerina games for the girls, as they can't get enough of this HIT Entertainment show on television. I can only imagine they fun we will all have playing these games together. :-)

---BUY NOW---

Wonder Forge games can be purchased at Walmart, Target, Toys R Us, and other major retailers. Click here for a list of retailers to find one in your area -- http://wonderforge.com/where-to-buy/.

Disclosure: I was sent samples from the vendor in order to write up an honest review. The views above are mine and mine alone.